Tessa Durand reflects on college life and the friends who influenced her
Senior Tessa Durand was following her dreams and career when she came to WSU.
Tessa has attended WSU for the past four years. She is being honored by WSU as she will be graduating on Saturday.
Tessa wasn’t sure if she would attend WSU during her senior year of high school. With Portland State University being her other ideal school, she eventually decided that WSU would be her school as she liked the idea of moving from California to Washington.
“When I spoke to my girlfriend at home, I was told to do what makes me happiest,” Tessa said. “I’ve never been to Washington state before and wanted to explore a new area, especially if it would help me follow my dreams and find a career.”
Tessa has done so much in her life to get her to where she is today. Tessa was born in Chicago and eventually moved to San Francisco with her parents, Brian and Jeanette, and her brother, Winston. She would meet some of her best friends, Iona and Claire, while still returning to Chicago to visit some of her other best friends, Mary and Annie.
Tessa’s family moved around California a few times but eventually settled in Moraga, which is adjacent to Oakland and San Francisco.
When Tessa turned 15, she received the greatest gift she’s ever had. Tessa became the owner of her very first dog, Maisey the Chihuahua.
“Maisey is one of the most important pieces in my life,” Tessa said. “I want her to feel loved and supported by me.”
Tessa would eventually graduate from Miramonte High School with her friends and decided to attend WSU. Upon arriving at WSU in the fall of 2019, Tessa declared a philosophy major with minors in English, ethics, and psychology.
In her early college years, Tessa met another of her dear friends, Autumn. The two would spend a lot of time together and share a lot of fun moments, whether with groups of friends or just together, Tessa said.
During her studies, Tessa met so many people and made many friends. Only one thing was missing, she wanted to see Maisey. Maisey still lived in California with Tessa’s parents, but that was about to change. At this point, Maisey would eventually move to Pullman to live with Tessa to this day. The two love to spend time together, play and visit some of the dog parks around town. Maisey is even rumored to have helped Tessa with her graduation homework.
“Having Maisey join me at Pullman was one of the best things that happened to me in my entire college life,” Tessa said. “Although it comes with a lot of responsibility to take care of her, if she comes to me I wouldn’t change her at all.”
Tessa has worked many jobs throughout her college career. The first place she was hired was the Daily Evergreen. Her second college job was at the Flix Café & Market, located on the south side of campus. She worked here from fall 2021 to spring 2022, she said.
While still working as an editor for the evergreen, Tessa finished her job at Flix Café & Market and decided to apply to Ferdinand. It was one of her best decisions as she always wanted to work in an ice cream shop, She said. It was here that she met many of her friends, including Trinity Cobb, Senior Special Education Major.
“I’ve always found Tessa to be such a kind hearted soul and someone I’ve always enjoyed spending my time with,” Trinity said.
Tessa is looking forward to graduating as she enjoyed her four years at WSU, especially her senior year as she made the most of her time with it. This will be another exciting moment in her life that will make her family and friends even more proud of her.
After graduation, Tessa plans to stay at Pullman for at least another year. She wants to work as an editor for a news agency where she can make a bigger name for herself. She credits the evergreen with making him want to continue being an editor once she learned how much she really likes it.
“I’ve definitely found what I want in a future job,” Tessa said. “The Daily Evergreen helped me with this because I want to be an editor at a major news company. I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had since coming to WSU, and I’m really excited to graduate this Saturday.”
